One of the driving forces behind bringing the 2002 Commonwealth Games to Manchester has championed a 'North of England Olympics' amid reports London is planning a bid to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the capital, possibly in 2036.
Sir Howard Bernstein, the chief executive of Manchester city council at the time, floated the idea as he reminisced on Manchester's Commonwealth Games 20 years on. He said he believes a cross-county Olympics here would be supported by the public.
Cities including Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield would be involved together with Manchester, he argued, with sports - and the economic benefits and inspiration they bring - shared around stadia. Sir Howard said to him, the current Olympic model seemed outdated.
